A Vampire
by snickers937
Summary: Soon the pain was gone, and from the darkness i awakened. i opened my eyes to this new world, and everything was different, i was different.  MY FIRST FANFIC PLZ READ AND REVIEW
1. Chapter 1

Pain,

Loss,

Confusion,

Rage,

Then more pain.

So many emotions overpowering me, each appearing to have found a way to become of equal intensity of the other. They were all so potent that my brain could hardly register which one was more dominant.

But I already knew the answer to that.

Thirst was by far the most forceful of them all; for as much as the other emotions overwhelmed me; they could not hold one tenth of the power thirst held upon me.

My hands instinctively flew to my burning throat, fingers rubbing it tenderly; trying to ease the pain.

But it did me no good.

Thinking about the fire in my throat only made the flames grow wilder.

I gritted my teeth as I tried to compose myself, I thought that by this point I would have become accustomed to the pain that accompanied the thirst, but it's not something you can get used to, it's just something you have to endure.

I tried to distract myself with any trivia, shifting through memories of my past life, I only had a few, and they were very dim that I could not make anything out of them, I tried to put them together but they were just random.

The sharpest of them was the memory of my transformation. It was so vivid, so real.

Though I could remember every unnecessary detail of my transformation, I could not remember the person behind it.

I didn't give the identity of my creator much thought, but I recall seeing a pair of bloody red eyes, they weren't the same shade of crimson my eyes were, but something about them alarmed me, caused me to fear whoever those eyes belonged to.

I guess it's just my sense of self-preservation.

Not wanting to give the topic any more thought, I tore my eyes from the memory to gaze at the mesmerizing meadow, as though seeing it for the first time.

It was beyond beautiful, I found myself at loss of words trying to describe it. The mossy ground was covered with green wet grass -wet because of the constant rain showers in Forks, one of the rainiest places in the Olympic peninsula- the flowers danced gracefully along the wind, illuminating the meadow with their delicate colors, they enclosed me, bordering the tree to which I rested my back, it gave me an astounding sense of peace. But what was even more stunning than the dazzling colors was the scent of the meadow; it was incredible; it smelled off different perfumes, many of the aromas I already recognized: lilac, freesia, hyacinth, but velvet stood out in the bouquet, making it yet more beautiful, my nostrils flared as I inhaled through my nose, craving more. A gentle gush of wind blew at my direction, and the odor of velvet washed over me.

Everything seemed perfect in my little moment of inner peace.

But then the unexpected happened,

As I was appreciating the fascinating bouquet, trying to decipher the aromas, I caught the scent of two humans passing by.

I felt my body go rigged, as the venom pooled in my mouth, coating my teeth, urging me to spring.

My frantic fingers searched for something to hold on to, something to pin me to the ground; so I wouldn't snap. Appearing to have found no luck in their search, they winded up turning into firm fists.

Why is this happening to me?

This was exactly what I was trying to prevent.

This was the whole reason I had come here; for when I have acknowledged the creature I have become I came here hiding in the woods, thinking that I was far away from the hiking trial, so no humans would be likely to cross my path.

I was wrong.

How could I be that foolish? Have I actually believed that I could prevent the inevitable?

As the righteous part of my mind went on blaming me for my sheer stupidity and cursing at the evil fate that condemned these two humans to their deaths,

Another part – a more dominant part- thought as the predator I kept hidden inside.

My ears could hear the pounding of their beating heart, the even thudding of their blood as it flooded through their veins. Every shift in their weight, every insignificant movement, every breath, every footstep. I was aware of everything.

Un able to control myself, I started picturing my teeth digging under their velvety skin, my lips touching their warm blood, putting out the fire in my throat, ending my anguish.

I couldn't help grinning viciously at the thought. I let my imagination run wild as I started dreaming of what the blood would taste like. I felt the urge to kill, the need to feed, all the instincts I kept buried deep inside came rushing to the surface.

Fearing that I would slip-up, I cut off my air supply; trying to drive the maddeningly appealing scent out of my mind. Breathing was not a necessity for my kind, and I felt grateful for it.

Not breathing made me feel slightly better, merely slightly. I still couldn't force out the scent of blood. And the thumping of their hearts became more pronounced as they approached me.

My fists slowly loosened up, and in a split second I was standing, leaning into my hunting crouch. A violent hiss left my slightly parted lips and clenched teeth.

In that split second all traces of self control and respect for the human life was gone. I shut out the voice of reason in my mind as my instincts took over,

I then realized that I couldn't fight any more,

I couldn't fight what I am,

Couldn't deny it,

Couldn't change it.

I am a vampire,

A hunter,

A predator,

A monster,

And I had to feed.


	2. Chapter 2

Acknowledging that undeniable fact, I shot through the woods like a bullet, sprinting at an immeasurable amount of speed, darting through the forest, effortlessly evading the trees that sealed off my trial, as though trying to stop me, my long curls swooped elegantly behind me as the wind stroked my face, blowing the scent of humans at my direction, triggering my hunting instincts, leading me to my prey.

I felt a strange spasm of pleasure as I proceeded with my hunt. The more I grew closer to the humans, the more evident my pleasure became.

I made no effort to hold back the cruel smirk that spread across my face as I felt the humans tense, sensing my presence, and I could not bring myself to feel guilty.

If I were to accept what I am, if I were to embrace the creature I have become and carry on with my existence, then this was the only way.

There was no other option.

But how would I live with myself after doing what I'm about to do?

Could I possibly forgive myself for taking away these innocent lives?

And if I couldn't grant myself forgiveness, were I to hold the burden of murdering them for the rest of eternity?

Abruptly I felt myself hit a hard body, it was as if I ran into a wall, only the wall would have shattered beneath me, and I would not have jolted backwards to smack into a tree behind me, as I have now.

My eyes grew wide with shock as I tried to absorb what had happened, I had been so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't perceive the wall that stood in front of me, blocking my way.

And then it hit me.

This was no wall that I collided with.

This was an enemy.

And I had to protect myself.

With blinding speed I straightened from my pose on the ground, and promptly dashed the other way with as much speed as I managed to exert.

But I could feel _him_ running behind me, tracking me.

My even breathes turned to rapid panting, and I was sure that were I to have a heart, it would have stopped beating right then.

Thirst was replaced by waves of fear, as I felt the stranger catching up.

He would get to me,

And I would die.

I had to escape.

I needed to quickly think of a strategy to get away; running frantically wasn't going to save me, for he was probably as fast as I am, maybe even faster, if only I had a head start, I would be likely to win the race. Just then an idea popped into my head.

In a tenth of a second I lunged upwards, landing on a high tree branch. I then continued my escape running on tree tops.

My little trick bought me just a couple of seconds, and my idea didn't seem that brilliant after all.

I then smelt a very familiar scent, marking the way I was headed. I recognized it was my own. This must be the same route I took when I went on the intention of hunting the humans.

I chuckled under my breath at the irony of the situation. Only seconds ago I thought of myself as the most dangerous monster, I believed nothing could probably oppose a threat to me, and here I am now, running for my life… if it were to count as one.

And so the hunter became the prey.

But I did get a glimpse of hope, for if this was the same path I took to get here, then that meant I must be headed back to the meadow.

I knew the meadow like the back of my hand, and if I couldn't run away then I could hide. The scent of the meadow was very strong, and I highly doubt that he would be able to track mine when so many other potent aromas filled the air.

All these thoughts, all my plans, took only a second or so to form in my mind.

Our minds could calculate and think faster than those of the humans'. It was really impressive how much amount of information we can process, but sometimes it could get too overwhelming… or distracting I guess.

The odor of lilac and velvet became more distinct, so I knew I must be close.

In a sixth of a second I was entering the clearing; my eyes scanned the place instantly, looking for a hiding place.

That's when I felt a hand gently grabbing my arm.

I turned around in a fraction of a second, only to see a pair of topaz eyes staring down at me in confusion.


	3. Chapter 3

I stared back into his eyes, confusion filling my own.

My fear, all but forgotten, changed to comforting ease, and I could not quite comprehend what was going on at the moment; for as hard as I tried, I could not tear my eyes away from his.

Maybe I wasn't trying after all.

He was by far the most handsome young man I've ever had chance to lay eyes upon; his face was perfect, angular in its shape, with a strong jaw line and high cheekbones, his nose was a perfect straight line, and his lips were full, his bronze toned hair was messy, but it suited his features, making him yet more beautiful, and his eyes… they retained an unusual topaz shade I had never encountered before in any human's eyes. Because, of course, I knew for sure that he was not human.

His body was slender, yet muscular in some way, and he was about a foot or so taller than me.

But all this was not why I couldn't look away.

His face held so many emotions I could not grasp.

What was he? I didn't know, he certainly was not human, because no human would have such speed or strength, his scent was appealing but not in the way that gets you thirsted for his blood, I could not hear his heartbeat, I could not see any flow of blood under his skin, it appeared as though it was impenetrable, and very, _very_ pale, much like mine.

But I knew he could not be one of my kind; for red eyes are one of our most noticeable features that cannot be mistaken. And his eyes were definitely not red.

With that thought I found myself once again trapped in his bottomless eyes, unable to look away from his penetrating gaze.

He just stood there, probably waiting for me to say something, but the way he looked at me, it seemed as though he was trying to see through me, trying to reach my thoughts, trying to read my mind.

And I being my stupid self just gazed at him in wonder and fascination.

Out of nowhere, the clouds drifted slightly through the blue sky, allowing numerous sun rays to reach the spot where we stood, frozen.

And I already knew what was going to happen next; so it wasn't much of a surprise when the sun rays reflected off of me, causing my skin to shine- sparkle actually, in a way that even human eyes would be able to notice.

What I wasn't expecting though, was his skin to do the same.

I felt my jaw drop in surprise.

"You're like me?" my voice came out in a faint whisper.

"Yes" he answered in a smooth voice.

I couldn't contain my happiness at that point. He was one of my kind. I was not the only one.

My happiness must have been visible, because he grinned in response.

"But, your eyes…" I still did not know the reason behind the difference in our eye color.

"It's because of my life style, it's different from yours; I don't feed on humans"

"How come? You don't get thirsty? You don't need to kill anymore? Is it possible that I'd be able to do the same?" I blurted out my questions one after another, giving him no time to respond.

His grin became a crooked smile, he seemed… amused?

"I only feed on the blood of animals, it doesn't completely satisfy my thirst, or rather desire for humans' blood, but it keeps me strong enough to survive. It's like being vegetarian. And yes you can do it, but it requires practice and self restrain"

I was beyond shocked.

There was another way.

I didn't have to kill to survive; I didn't need to live on the expense of innocent people.

And I was so close to giving up hope, that I was about to end two harmless lives.

I felt ashamed of myself; I should have controlled my thirst, I should have searched for others like me, I should have thought this through, all I did was hide from the facts, and brood in solitude over what I've became.

I should have known better.

As though sensing my chagrin, my anonymous friend held my hand in his, squeezing it gently, reassuring me in a quite gesture that everything will be fine.

I welcomed the encouragement and tilted my head up to look at him; his eyes were troubled, and slightly confused, probably wondering about my abrupt change in moods.

"What are you thinking?" he asked all of a sudden.

I hesitated for a second, then looking down in shame, mumbled my response.

"I was about to murder two humans when you stopped me, I was trying to get a grip on myself but thirst got the best of me, I'm so sorry, I really am; I thought there was no other option."

He appeared taken aback by my answer; he obviously wasn't expecting it to be like that.

Then his expression changed, and became one of admiration. His crooked grin flashed back, and I couldn't help smiling back. His smile was simply contagious.

As I smiled, his grin became even wider.

And I wondered who he is, how he knew about this different life style, I wanted to talk to him, I wanted to know his name.

"What's your name?"

But it was him who voiced the question.

"I'm Bella, Bella Swan"


	4. Chapter 4

_Flash back:_

_My mother stood by my side, holding my school bag, my hands were clutched in her clothes, and I refused to let go._

_We were standing in a play ground, ten feet from where we stood, was an old building I assumed to be my school._

_"Bella, honey, you have to go now, your classes start in three minutes" my mom called to me._

_But I didn't want her to leave._

_"Stay with me mommy" I begged as I buried my head in her lap._

_She knelt down and hugged me back tightly, her hand brushing my head, smoothing my pony tail._

_"Oh, honey_

_"I told you I can't stay; now you have to let me leave and go to your class"_

_I stubbornly shook my head in her embrace, and she let out a sigh._

_She pushed back a little, so she could see my face._

_"I'll always be with you dear; I'll never leave your side"_

_I grinned from ear to ear, exposing my little teeth._

_"You will?" I asked jumping up and down in excitement._

_"You'll always carry me with you, in here –she said pointing her index finger to my chest- "and in here- with that she tapped the same finger to my forehead- "where ever you go."_

_I leaned my head to her shoulder and mumbled "I love you mommy."_

_"I love you too dear" with that she gave me my school bag, taking my hand, and started leading me to my class room._

_As we walked in, we were greeted by a kind lady, probably in her mid forties, she had her hair raised up in a small bun, and was wearing an ankle length brown skirt, with a matching shirt. Her features gave away her kind nature, and I instantly felt at ease being around her._

_She looked down at me and smiled._

_"You must be Isabella Swan, that's a very lovely name"_

_"I like to be called Bella" I said as I grinned back at her, I think I was starting to like this school._

_"Well Bella, why don't you take this seat beside Ally and wait for me to go get you your new books okay?"_

_With that I let go of my mom's hand and took my seat._

Present:

This was the memory from which I knew my name; it was also the only memory of my mother. Though I could not remember her, I knew we had a tight bond, and I knew that in my new found existence I'd never be able to see her again; because it was too dangerous, maybe one day I'd be able to control my thirst around humans like _he _says he does, but I won't take any chances near the one person I care for the most.

"Hello Bella, my name is Edward Cullen." he said formally.

His voice snapped me back to reality.

"Hello Edward." I greeted him in the same tone. And I couldn't understand why saying his name aloud gave me Goosebumps- figuratively of course.

"I assume you have a few questions you want answered."

"Yes." I replied shortly, bewildered by the proximity of his body; how can he stand so close to me like that? As if he knew for sure that I wouldn't attack him. Maybe it was just me who had this overly dominant sense of self preservation. I felt more comfortable keeping my distance from strangers. But I didn't mind being close to him.

"Well then come with me, and I'll show you."

My eye brows furrowed in confusion as I wondered where he'd take me, and I didn't know for a fact if I'd be safe with him, but I felt I could trust him, and I didn't fear his company.

"I want you to meet my family, and introduce you to my father- my creator" he corrected himself quickly to be more clear.

"He is the one who showed us this new life style, and I think it would be better if you got your answers from him, for he was the one to give me mine, and he'd able to answer yours more accurately."

I was amazed at how his tone was filled with respect as he talked of his creator, and I knew that he was certainly more like a father to him. He also seemed attached to his family, for I realized he referred to them as his "family" not his "coven".

But could I be able to trust these strangers?

I trust Edward, but is that enough?

He seemed to read my indecision, and squeezed my hand one more time to comfort me.

"It's okay to trust them, you'll be safe, I promise."

"Will you come with me, just in case?" I tried to disguise my hope when addressing the question, but failed, miserably failed.

"As long as you need me, I'll be here for you."

I smiled in evident relief; I trusted Edward, and I could already feel that we'd be good friends, and if I'm bound to live for an eternity I didn't want to lose my only companion.

He flashed his crooked smile as he felt my relief.

"Follow me… if you can." He smiled in a challenging way and sprinted back towards the woods.

I couldn't keep the grin off my face –and I didn't attempt to do so- as I raced behind him.


	5. Chapter 5

Edward was incredibly fast, he ran with extraordinary speed and grace, and I struggled for a brief while to catch up with him.

He was faster than me, I admit it, but my stride was equivalent to three of his, so that definitely counted as an advantage.

We were now running neck to neck, each sprinting as if our lives depended on it. Every now and then a few giggles would escape my lips. The thrill of the race was mind blowing.

Running was a second nature to those of our kind, so we didn't actually have to think about it to do it; it came as natural as breathing, which made it even the more exhilarating.

I looked over to Edward and he seemed to be enjoying himself as well, his crooked smile brightened his face, and his eyes were full of enthusiasm. He glanced at me smiling, and I returned the smile almost immediately, grateful to have found such a wonderful acquaintance- or maybe even more, for me at least.

I could have passed him easily, but I had no idea where we're headed, so I matched my pace to his, letting him lead the way.

I soon became aware of the distinctive scents of other vampires, which lingered to the trail we were taking.

We must be close.

I bit my lower lip nervously, a habit of mine that I unconsciously did whenever I got stressed over something.

What if they intended me no good? What if they didn't accept me? Could it be possible that my encounter with Edward was just a set up in order to get me ambushed?

But I couldn't believe that. As crazy as it may sound, I could not believe that Edward would do that to me.

But I only knew him for no more than a few minutes, how could I be so sure?

I must be going insane.

Edward grasped my hand gently, and I knew he could sense my worry, it must have showed on my face; for he was rubbing soothing circles on the back of my hand with his thumb.

I didn't shy away from his touch, instead I looked him in the eye, smiling weakly, but having no success in hiding my anxiety.

"Don't worry Bella, I'll keep you safe." He murmured softly, and the sincerity behind his words was unmistakable.

I felt extremely thankful for running into Edward today; I didn't know what would have happened to me if he hadn't stopped me from almost slaughtering the humans.

Could I have signed to the monster that threatened to break free of my grip at any moment?

That was very likely to have happened.

Again I found myself very appreciative for coming across him.

"Thank you, for everything."

He held my hand more tightly "Don't mention it."

And I was content for just holding his hand securely in mine.

"How long have you been a vampire?" he curiously asked after a moment of silence.

"I don't precisely know, a couple of weeks maybe."

He seemed bewildered by my response. However, his expression turned back to normal at once and I let it go.

"So how has it been so far?" he questioned teasingly.

I grinned at his attempt to lighten up the mood.

"It's been a hell of a ride." I replied jokingly.

He chuckled lightly, then his expression became serious again.

"Bella, how have you survived all this while without hunting? Your scent has no trace of any odor of human blood what so ever and the blazing crimson shade of your eyes would have dimmed by now, and turned to regular red if you were to have tasted blood, so I know for sure that you haven't fed."

I was startled by the sudden seriousness of his tone.

We were slowing down now, merely jogging.

"How did you do it?" he urged me to answer.

"When I realized what had happened to me, I ran into the woods to hide. I spent a while trying to convince myself that none of this was true, denying my thirst, growing weaker by the second-

I shuddered remembering the pain, and his hand held mine even more tightly.

"But when the thirst became unendurable I knew for a fact that I was a vampire, and I could not hide from the truth any longer.

"So I tried to keep myself controlled, distracted, I aimed for the places with the most dominant aromas to keep my mind off the scent of human blood, it wasn't that much of an idea but I couldn't think of any other way at that time

"I headed deeper in the forest, trying to get as far away as I can from the main roads, and hiking trails, any place where humans would be possible to encounter my presence.

"However, there were two hikers who were unfortunate enough to cross my path.

"I couldn't hold myself back, you caught me off guard."

Shame and self loathing were clear in my voice, as I mumbled my confession.

"Bella, you should not be angry with yourself, what you did was incredible, I wouldn't expect any new born to hold on for that long."

"What did you call me?" I asked, confusion furrowing my eye brows.

He stifled a chuckle as he replied "A new born, like a new vampire, one such as yourself."

"Oh" was all I could say.

He seemed to have a lot of information about our kind, and it appeared he was willing to share. I was lucky, I could use the guidance.

"Edward, how did you find me the other time? When I was about to…" I trailed off, unable to finish. Just thinking about the harm I would have done, caused me to feel uneasy, he applied some pressure on my hand and I squeezed back in return, urging him to stop worrying so much about me.

"I saw you in the meadow, it's one of my favorite places, I discovered it a while ago when I was hunting and I grew fond of it ever since, I came there whenever I needed to be alone."

We were now walking at a normal human pace, I needed some time with him, I wanted to talk to him and I had the feeling he wanted the same, for he never showed any sign of impatience as we strolled slowly, our hands still entwined with each other.

I asked him a lot of questions, and he asked me several in return.

We talked about anything we could think of, and he surprised me with his non stopping stream of topics.

He told me about what he remembered of his human life, how he was trying to cope with his nature and feel normal. We talked about some superstitions of other mythical creatures –which turned out they were not so mythical after all- and we talked about books, endless amount of books.

"Edward, how come I remember my favorite books, and only have a few random memories of my human life?"

He paused for a second, thinking about the best way to answer me.

"I don't really know, Carlisle once told me that there's no pattern, or specific genre to the things we remember, he still hadn't come up with a theory about that. However, he said that if I concentrate on the human memories I have hard enough, I would be less likely to lose them."

The pronounced respect in his voice when he talked about Carlisle, suggested that he was his father.

I wanted to ask about the dynamics of our life, I wanted to know more about this different lifestyle, but I decided to keep those questions for later, have Carlisle answer them, for I wanted to make use of the time I had left with Edward.

Shifting through the many questions I have yet to ask, I chose the one I was most curious about.

"Is Carlisle the reason why you don't hunt humans?"

My question seemed to have triggered something in him, in a way, his expression became pained and his eyes looked intensely ahead, as though concentrating on a memory and I immediately regretted asking the question.

"Partly yes, but it's not the only reason… I don't _want_ to be a monster, Bella."

He continued after pausing for a moment, "I had a hard time adjusting to the temptation, and I once gave up. I used to feed on only those who -in my eyes- deserved it, murderers, rapists, burglars. But it didn't make me feel even the slightest bit better. I knew that their punishment was not mine to deliver, and I had no right what so ever to determine whether they should live or not, that was not my decision to make.

"I eventually returned to Carlisle, and he was kind enough to give me a second chance, he was quite content actually."

I then realized that Edward was a son to Carlisle just as much as Carlisle was a father to him.

"Tell me more about your family."

"There are seven of us, Carlisle and Esme, Emmet and Rosalie, Alice and Jasper, and then me."

I noticed how he introduced them in pairs, and I assumed that would mean that they're mates.

"Our family is quite talented." He added sarcastically.

He lost me at that point. What did he mean by "talented"?

He continued, answering my unspoken question, "We have extra gifts, Carlisle has a theory about that, he believes that every vampire brings something from his past life to this new existence, he thinks that whatever powers we had as humans becomes intensified as we become vampires, like if I had the ability to predict something as a human, when I become a vampire I could see the future."

"You can do that?" I inquired, astonished.

"Hypothetically speaking." He answered grinning.

"Alice on the other hand, can do that. However, her visions are very subtle; she can only see the course of some one's life as it changes but only after he'd made a decision. But the future is not set in stone, everything can change."

"So she's a vampire slash psychic?"

He chuckled at my question and answered, "I think you can put it like that."

"Do you have an extra power as well?" I questioned eagerly.

"When I was human, I was sensitive to people's thoughts around me."

_Oh crap._

He didn't need to finish for me to understand.

_Crap! Crap! Crap!_

He can read minds.

I felt extremely embarrassed. Have he heard what I was thinking when I first saw him? But my reactions always seemed to take him by surprise. It doesn't make any sense.

He seemed to have felt my embarrassment, as he snickered lightly.

"Don't worry; I can't hear _your_ thoughts."

As much as I wished that was true, I wasn't convinced.

"Am I sort of immune to your power?"

"I guess that's the only explanation, I've never been unable to read some one's mind before, I suppose you're different from the others."

"Is there something wrong with me?" I asked hesitantly.

He laughed freely as he answered me "So I tell you I read minds, and you think something's wrong with _you_?"

It did sound weird.

"What did the rest of your family bring to this new life?"

"Carlisle brought his compassion for human life, he's able to resist human blood in a way I've never seen before, he's a doctor so he faces the temptation every single day.

"He's a _doctor_?" I interrupted, my eye brows raised in evident shock.

"It _is_ sort of ironic, but yes he's a doctor, he values human lives so much that he goes against his nature to save them, it's fascinating."

"And the others?"

"Emmet brought his incredible strength, Rosalie brought her… beauty – he smirked in disgust as he stated Rosalie's power- Esme brought her passionate motherly instincts – he smiled at the mention of Esme and I presumed she was his mother.

"As for Jasper, he's very interesting; he's sensitive to the feelings of others around him, and he can manipulate their moods easily, calm a group of outraged people for example."

My previous worry of his family took place once more, but for very different reasons.

"What if they… won't like me?"

His expression became bemused as my words sunk in, and he laughed a loud.

"Trust me, they'll love you." Confidence tinted his tone, and he flashed his crooked grin at me, if I had a heart it would've skipped a beat right then.

"Do you think I brought something to my new life as well?" I abruptly asked, trying to change the subject.

He took a second to think about it and then answered me, "I think you have some sort of self restrain, the way you were able to survive for two weeks without feeding, and how you broke of mid hunt as you sensed my presence. And right now for example, you're able to talk to me naturally when all what you're supposed to be thinking about is the blood."

I felt my throat burn with thirst now that he'd reminded me.

"That's it? No super strength or psychic powers?" I teased, "That's really lame."

He smiled at me adoringly and said "I find it quite impressive."

I looked away, embarrassed, that's when my eyes caught sight of the narrow river we were approaching.

Edward let go of my hand -for the first time I might add- and took a couple of strides backwards. He crouched slightly and then lunged to the opposite side of the river, crossing it in no time.

I mimicked his movement and was soon standing beside him on the other side. The leap over the river was thrilling. I'm definitely doing it again some time.

As I reached him, he took my hand back in his, and started advancing forward.

I spotted a large white house, about fifty yards ahead, and assumed that would be our destination.

Running, we reached the house in a few seconds.

The two story house was absolutely beautiful, it was colored a faint shade of white, and most of the windows were wall sized, it looked antique yet modern at the same time.

I drew in a deep breath to calm myself as we entered the house, hands still locked together.

As we stepped inside, I could feel seven pairs of eyes intently gazing at me watching my every move.


	6. Chapter 6

My eyes flickered cautiously between the six vampires standing and leaning casually in the room.

They all had the same golden eye color as Edward.

The first one to catch my eye was a blonde man, and I instantaneously knew it was Carlisle; for he was looking at me and Edward in fondness and evident delight, his features were very peaceful, and his eyes held a lot of wisdom. He was smiling pleasantly at us in a very welcoming way.

He seemed to be older than the others, but not very much, his looks suggested he was in his mid twenties, but his eyes, beaming with understanding, insight and perception, gave you the impression that his knowledge was that of an ancient philosopher.

He was focused on Edward though, and Edward was looking intently back, they seemed to be having a private conversation.

Not wanting to intrude, I looked away, meeting the eyes of the passionate looking brunette Carlisle had his arm around.

She was without a doubt Esme.

She kept looking back and forth between me and Edward, until her eyes locked on our joined hands. And her expression was that of an extremely ecstatic mother, if I were a human I would have blushed.

She seemed to be around the same age as Carlisle, and she leaned comfortably in his half embrace, she was holding his free hand and looking as if her eyes would shed tears of happiness.

I smiled at them politely, they seemed very kind and caring, and Esme reminded me deeply of my mother.

Rosalie was the next one to have caught my attention; for she was glaring at me with piercing eyes, running them over my five foot four inches body frame again and again, with a harsh smirk on her face.

I presumed she was Rosalie for her obvious, unearthly beauty. Her blond hair was elegantly thrust behind her back, and her face was that of an angel. However, her hostile expression suggested otherwise.

Her eyes never stopped staring at me in underestimation, and I guessed that was because I was of plain, normal physical appearance. She seemed as though she was assessing me, critiquing how I looked, and definitely not liking what she saw.

From the side of my eyes I could see Edward glaring at her in disgust, and felt him clenching his teeth. I pressed his hand softly to calm him down. He relaxed a little bit but still held his rigid posture as Rosalie continued to glower at me.

She was standing the furthest from us, near the stair case, and beside her was a _very _huge, oversized, gigantic, bulky boy.

Certainly Emmet.

Though the massive size of his form was intimidating, his expression was very boy-ish, and he had a child like ear to ear grin on his face.

I grinned back, relieved that he didn't appear to have the disapproval Rosalie had for me.

And somehow he managed to smile even wilder.

He looked like the humorous, joke cracking, fun, protective big brother.

As I grinned at Emmet, Rosalie glowered at me with even more disgust, I assumed that would be hard; considering her previous glare was already filled with revulsion, but somehow she managed.

Uncomfortable from Rosalie's glares, I glanced side ways to see a pixie-like girl, with deep black hair cropped short, and pointing at every direction.

Alice.

She was… tiny, thin in extreme, with beautiful features, she was practically hopping up and down in joy, which gave me a hint of her energetic personality. She looked at me as though we were already best friends.

I smiled at her welcoming attitude, and wondered if she predicted my encounter with them.

Standing beside her was an overly protective looking blonde, who was obviously Jasper. His arm was secured around Alice's waist, and his slightly muscular tall figure made her seem more petite.

Jasper's expression was very… difficult to understand. It looked as though he was experiencing all types of feelings at the same time, and I remembered what Edward told me about him on our way here.

He must be sensing all our emotions, Carlisle's affection, Esme's joy, Rosalie's hatred, Emmet's amusement, Alice's excitement, Edward's worry and my curiosity about this family.

I looked at him sympathetically; he must be overwhelmed.

Sensing my empathy he smiled at me weakly, and then I felt waves of relief wash over me. Apparently I was not the only one who felt this relief; Edward relaxed his pose and Rosalie dropped her eyes to the ground.

I glanced at Edward to make sure he was feeling better, and he was grinning at Jasper, with a questioning raised eye brow.

Jasper must be using his talent.

"Hello Bella, I'm Carlisle" he greeted me with an even voice.

How did he know my-

Alice. She must have seen me coming and informed the others.

"Pleasure to meet you sir"

"This is my wife Esme –she smiled as my eyes met hers- and these are our children, Alice –she closed the distance between us in three graceful strides and hugged me tightly."It's nice to finally meet you Bella, I think we'll be great friends." I just smiled in response, though I felt we were close friends almost immediately.

"- Jasper, Rosalie" Carlisle continued, gesturing to both of them, Jasper just nodded at me –I nodded back- and Rosalie seemed uninterested in greeting me, she had her face buried in a fashion magazine which she examined immensely.

"Emmet-

Emmet grinned at me "s'up?" he said in a casual tone which made me giggle, and every one joined the laugh briefly-

"-And of course you already met Edward." Edward squeezed my hand lightly, I squeezed back and Esme seemed to have noticed our little exchange, her face softened and I knew for sure that if I were a human my face would've flushed tomato red.

"Now I presume you have some questions about our standard of living." Carlisle addressed me, I nodded in agreement.

"Well then please join me in my office to discuss the topic. I assure you I will tell you whatever there is you need to know."

With that he turned around and headed for the stairs, and I followed behind him quietly with Edward on my heels.

I was planning on scanning the inside of their fascinating house more intently, but I needed to have my questions answered first.

I entered Carlisle's office and was greeted by large framed pictures and portraits from different eras; on the opposite side was a wall sized book shelf which held _a lot_ of books. A large desk with a thick book laying on it faced us, Carlisle sat behind his desk, and Edward and I took the two seats in front of it.

The room was painted the same shade of white as the outside of the house, which made the room seem welcoming and… open.

"Now, what do you want to know?"

I quickly ran through my list of questions in my head and went for the first one.

"How come we don't burn in the sun light?" Carlisle chuckled quietly and I could hear Emmet's booming laughter from downstairs, of course they could hear me, as clear as I could hear them.

"Myth." Edward answered, struggling to hold back his laughter.

"Sleeping in the coffins?"

"Myth."

"Turning to bats?"

With that Edward lost his control, and his loud laughter echoed Emmet's.

"That's a myth too."

"Most of the legends are not true, sun light doesn't harm us. However, we tend to avoid it because it exposes us to humans, and we have to keep the existence of our world a secret, or The Volturi would step in." Carlisle stated.

"What's a Volturi?" the name was unfamiliar to me.

Edward frowned at the mention of it.

"The Volturi are a coven of vampires, the largest and the most powerful of all the covens, they enforce the laws of our world, and in case of any violation, they are the ones to deliver the punishment."

"We have laws?" I questioned, puzzled by the previous information.

"Just one actually which is of extreme importance, it's to maintain the secrecy of our world. The Volturi and many other vampires don't hunt the same manner we do. They tend to feed on humans, so it's very important that they hunt smartly as to not draw attention to our existence, _we_ having decided to feed only on animals must be cautious as well, we hunt in the areas that has an over population of predators, as not to cause extinction to any of the species, and moreover mess with the balance of nature."

I nodded in understanding.

"How long would it take me to sustain the power to resist human blood?"

"Well, it would take a while, but I think you're capable of doing it in record time. You already have great self control, I can see from the color of your eyes that you haven't fed since your transformation was completed, and you're able to overlook your thirst right now."

My throat burned in protest.

How is it that my thirst never troubles me until someone reminds me of it? I noticed that as long as I was distracted, or in company of others, my thirst becomes tolerable, but in the meadow when I was all alone, and had nothing else on my mind, thirst was all I could think about.

Maybe Edward was right, maybe this is what I brought to my new life… or existence, whatever they call it.

"If you want to, you are welcome to join our family. However, if you prefer to live in separateness, we'd really appreciate it if you could stay with us just for a brief while, until you're confident you can handle your thirst and carry on by yourself."

I was shocked by his offer.

"I… I don't want to cause you any inconvenience-"

"Bella, you're not. I told you I'd be here for you as long as you need me, and everybody is excited to have you in our family."

I raised my eye brow accusingly at him.

"Rosalie?"

"Well, everyone apart from Rosalie." He admitted sheepishly.

"The choice is yours Bella, and I fully understand you need some time to come to a decision, but might I suggest you go hunting first, so you could think clearly."

I nodded and glanced at Edward, he was staring intently at me with hope.

"Would you come with me, to show me how to hunt?"

I requested Edward's escort partly to get to talk to him alone, but mostly because I was curious about how I'd react to feeding on animals.

But I knew if I didn't like it, I'd just have to endure it; for I couldn't resign to my nature, knowing that there's another way to survive. I could not live on the expense of the innocents.

"Of course, Edward would accompany you, and please if you have any concerns, feel free to inquire about anything you want."

"Thank you very much sir, and I will consider your invitation to join your family."I added reluctantly, guarding Edward's expression; I still didn't know how he felt about all of this. But he seemed genuinely pleased.

He flashed his breath taking crooked smile, as I addressed Carlisle and I couldn't help smiling back. I was about to lose myself in the depth of his topaz eyes but I pulled myself together.

We have more important things to do.

We have to hunt.

We said our goodbyes to the family and raced into the woods to begin our chase.

And all the while his hand never let go of mine.


	7. Chapter 7

We raced back into the woods in search of preys to feed on. As I caught the scent of a deer, I let my thirst and instincts take over, and lunged forward, securing my hands around its lean form, pressing my lips on the side of its neck, parting them slightly to bare my teeth, then sank them all the way through the fur and flesh into the artery, where the blood flow was the strongest.

The scent of animals' blood was certainly not as appealing as that of the humans, but it was good enough; the feeling of any warm fluid -what so ever- going down my dry throat had me yearning for it, and I found myself craving more as the deer in my arms ran dry.

I dropped the deceased deer and peeked at Edward.

He was already finished with his prey, and was leaning on a tree, watching me intently.

He looked as normal as ever; his white shirt –with the sleeves pushed up to the elbows- was spotless, there was no trace of blood on his hands, not even on the side of his lips, and there was not a hair out of place.

There was nothing about his appearance that might suggest that he just finished off a deer; had I not known he was hunting, I would have never assumed it.

My appearance, on the other hand, was a complete, total, undeniable disaster.

Blood and dirt covered almost every inch of my brown sleeveless shirt, and it somehow managed to stain my blue jeans as well.

I groaned inwardly; I liked those jeans.

"I'm still thirsty; can we hunt for a little while longer?" I requested bashfully.

"We have a lot of time Bella, there's no need to rush it."

I froze as I sniffed a different scent, it was way better than that of the deer, of course it wasn't as tempting as the humans'. However it was close to it, somehow.

"Mountain lion." Edward identified the scent.

"It's my favorite." He added with a grin.

"We're going to hunt lions?" I asked eagerly.

"Yes." He replied with a chuckle.

I grinned at him "It's gonna be a blood bath."

He chuckled at my teasing and I darted to where the scent came from. I lead the hunt this time; for I was stronger after feeding, which made me faster than Edward.

After I was finished with my lion, I was completely drenched in blood, and my shirt was shred from my shoulder up to the back of my neck; for my prey put up quite a fight and refused to go down easily, which was surprisingly amusing.

Edward, of course, was unscratched and I felt a little envious of his tactfulness in hunting.

_Stupid, perfect vampire._

After a couple of feedings I became finally full.

"Shall we head back to the house?" he asked as I announced I was done hunting.

But I was not ready to go back yet, I wanted to converse with Edward, and know his response to Carlisle's proposal.

And of course my face gave away my hesitation and unwillingness; for he added quickly "We don't have to go back if you prefer otherwise."

"I just… want to talk to you first." I admitted, my eyes on the ground "I mean if it's okay with you." I added hopefully.

"Of course." He replied softly.

"Race you to the meadow?" he challenged grinning.

"Loser eats bunnies." I teased.

"You're on."

I sprinted full speed towards the meadow "You are so gonna regret this." I called from behind my back.

I heard his quite chuckle, followed by his noiseless footsteps as he sped behind me.

Finding the meadow was effortless, for our scents still marked the way.

As I entered the clearing one more time, I felt arms locking around my slim frame, pushing me forwards and pinning me to the ground.

I blinked in shock, as my mind swirled with the incredible speed, then I glanced to see Edward above me, and I knew he was the one who held me down, my surprise didn't wear off; for I hadn't expected him to catch up that fast.

"That was cheating." He claimed.

"I never said I fight fair."

He smiled his mesmerizing crooked grin, and I was… dazzled?

He then straightened from his position and laid on his back on the damp grass. The sun penetrated the constant cover of clouds and our skin shimmered as the rays hit us.

I was still lying on the ground, and I turned my head to gaze at him, only to see that he did the same.

We froze in our poses for an immeasurable moment, our eyes locked together.

I wasn't uncomfortable by the silence that stretched as we held our postures, but I had to break it; for I hadn't forgotten why I requested to talk to him.

"Edward" I began, "about Carlisle's proposition…" I found myself struggling to find the right words. "Do you think… I mean do you mind if- I agreed?"

I sincerely wanted to join Carlisle's family; for I already felt attached to them, and I didn't want to leave Edward as well.

"Of course I don't mind. I can't… stay away from you, Bella." I was pleased by his confession, probably more than I should be, but I couldn't care less. I was going to have a family, I didn't have to live in solitude, I didn't have to feel disgusted with myself for every second of my endless existence, and I get to be with Edward.

"I already lost you once, I'm never going to allow it again."

Confusion widened my eyes as I tried to make sense of his words. What did he mean he lost me once? What is he keeping from me.

"What do you mean?" I wondered aloud.

"Bella, there's something you need to know."

Uh-oh that was never a good sign. I tensed as I waited for him to explain.

"When I saw you in the meadow…"

I waited patiently for him to continue, and he sighed in response.

"That wasn't the first time we met."


	8. Chapter 8

I sat up promptly, bewildered by what he said my eye brows shot up in disbelief.

Was he telling the truth? I could not be sure, but his eyes were sincere with honesty that can never be mistaken for untruthfulness.

But if he _was _telling the truth, if we'd met before, I would've certainly remembered him, how could I not? Unless…

"I met you when you were human." He confirmed my suspicions.

"I was in the woods, hunting, when I caught the scent of another vampire, it wasn't much of a surprise; for we run into others of our kind from time to time. However, I was allured to follow him when I heard his revolting thoughts. He was… tracking you."

A moment of silence stretched between us as his words sunk in. He was now sitting up as well, only inches away from me.

"I could see in his mind the different methods he planned on killing you with, it was sickening, the hunt was his obsession, it was his idea of ultimate pleasure to track down his preys, and scare them to death before finishing them off. It was you however, whom he found the most tempting to track; for you refused to give up, you provided him with a challenge by your constant attempts to escape –which weren't very successful I might add- and your scent was exceptionally mouth watering.

"I felt this strange need to protect you, I don't know why, maybe it's because I believed no one deserved such a painful death, especially not you.

"I knew you were a good person; for when you felt that he was tracking you, when you felt that you were… in danger, you immediately set off on your own and kept your distance from your friends and family, fearing that he'd oppose a danger to them as well, fearing you'd be the death of them.

"It was extremely brave." He said with admiration.

"Images of you, lying on the ground, murdered in cool blood filled his head. And I knew I had to do something about it.

"I followed his scent and his… "voice"; for his thoughts were rather loud. It wasn't very difficult, and he didn't suspect even the slightest that someone was tracking _him_.

"What I couldn't quite comprehend was that I could hear nothing from you other than your frantic footsteps and the rapid drumming of your heart as you struggled to get away, your mind was silent to me even then.

"I can't believe you actually thought you could outrun him." He added with a smile that never touched his eyes, but then continued in the same serious tone.

"After he _petrified_ you with his vampire tricks –he mocked smirking in evident disgust- he decided to finally kill you –we both flinched at the word- I reached you just as he had his lips pressed on your wrist."

I glanced at my hand, and there was a bite mark on my wrist. How could I have missed it before?

"I'm so sorry… I should have been faster." As he murmured his apology he stroke my bite mark with his fingers and I froze. For several blurry images altered in my mind. I felt a severe pain in my hand, and dropped it in my hands, a scream parting from my lips.

The pain was extremely, tremendously excruciating.

I felt Edward frantically shaking my shoulders, calling at me, begging me to snap out of it.

I wanted so much to break away from the images- the memories that captivated me, to comfort Edward, to reach for his hand. But his voice sounded distant, and soon faded away. The meadow disappeared completely before me. And a new image took place

_I was running, sprinting through the woods, my teeth gritted and my eyes fighting tears the whole while. My speed was terribly slow, and I knew that was because I was still human._

_Throughout my sprint, I tripped over several tree roots, mostly I tripped over my own feet, but I always braced myself and got up, because I knew I must get away from _him_._

_I could feel him watching me as I staggered through the forest, and I couldn't help but wonder, why hasn't he killed me yet? He was certainly capable of doing so, and I was sure it was within his intentions. But I was grateful he kept me alive long enough to lure him into the deep woods, away from my family; for I couldn't live with myself –no matter how brief that while would be- having known he hurt them because of me._

_So I was fairly content that at least my loved ones were safe… for the time being._

_I tumbled –for the last of a thousand times- and braced myself to hit the ground. However, cold hands caught me just before I was about to fall._

_Chills of fear ran down my spine as I yanked the hands off of me and took a few steps backwards._

_For I knew it was _him _who caught me._

_As I looked forward I saw a face I recognized well enough. It was the face that had been haunting my every thought, the face of the devil of my personal hell, the face that made me shiver with horror; it was a face of a monster._

_It was _him_._

_But he'd never faced me before; he only lingered for a second or two long enough for me to get a glimpse of him, and then he'd vanish into thin air as though he never appeared._

_That must mean one thing._

_My time was up._

_And I now had to die._

_He stared at me with his bloody red eyes then finally spoke._

_"Hello again, Isabella."_

_I tried to keep a composed face, if I were to die now, I might as well do it with dignity._

_"What do you want from me?" I was surprised by my even voice._

_"If you want to kill me just get it over with." _

_Definitely surprised; it didn't crack even the slightest and there was no trace of fear, only courage, which might as well be considered stupidity._

_"That is a very intriguing idea." He smiled wickedly._

_At that I had to feel terrified._

_"I'm not scared of you." I didn't sound convincing at all._

_In a blink of an eye he was gone._

_"Are you sure about that?" his voice came from behind me and I practically jumped at the sound of it._

_I turned around hastily but he wasn't there. I kept spinning around myself like an idiot, searching for him._

_He then appeared in front of me once more._

_"Because Bella, you look as pale as a ghost."_

_I shook with fear as I felt my life coming to an end._

_I was subconsciously pacing backwards, trying to put as much distance as I managed between the two of us, though I knew he'd be able to close it in no more than a second._

_In between my steps I stepped on my foot –how brilliant!- and fell backwards, smacking my head to a tree._

_Blood spilled across my forehead, dripping on the grass which bounded the spot where I laid, crying in pain._

_"Well, well, what do we have here?" he muttered as he slowly strode to reach me._

_He knelt down and grabbed my hand._

_"Good bye, Isabella." He smiled as he bared his teeth, and then dug them into my wrist._

_The view became fuzzy as I felt myself weaken, his lips were still on my wrist, and his eyes glowed in hunger- or thirst to be more accurate._

_Then a sudden force pushed him away from me, and I felt his teeth finally ripped out of my skin._

_I blinked trying to concentrate and see through the fuzziness of the view, only to find an angel looking down at me with a pained expression._

_I gazed, mesmerized by his beauty._

_But then the hunter shoved him away, and I couldn't see any more; for I was burning._

_The most agonizing pain I'd ever felt in my short seventeen years of living._

_It was as though someone set me on fire, and I cried aloud as I felt the piercing pain reach my lungs, tightening my chest, making it difficult to breathe._

_I've never given much thought to how I would die, but _this_ I didn't expect._

_I thought death was supposed to be peaceful… easy, but the tormenting pain was unbearable._

_I shook as the burn took a new edge._

_I couldn't bear it anymore, why couldn't he just kill me? Why was I bound to indulge this suffering? What have I done to deserve this?_

_I then felt the pain slowly wear off from my limbs, only to be replaced with strange numbness that swallowed me in a black hole._

_I couldn't feel my body, and I felt myself getting even weaker, I struggled to fight through the numbness but it was too hard, and I didn't know if it was worth the pain._

_But then I felt some pressure on my hand, and I knew someone was holding it, he was softly urging me to open my eyes, his voice was like velvet, and it felt like a beautiful melody in my ears._

_I fought to flutter my eyes open, but eventually succeeded._

_And there he was, my angel, with his warm topaz eyes._

_"Stay with me, Bella stay with me please."_

_But I couldn't. As hard as I wanted to, I couldn't._

_I wanted to tell him I was sorry I wasn't going to stay, but my eye lids became heavier, and soon my eyes were shut._

_I battled to gather my strength and managed to force out one word._

_"My angle."_

_Then the numbness took over._

My eyes fluttered open, and I saw Edward gazing at me with worry and pain.

"My angel." I said as I gazed back.

And then I was in his arms.


	9. Chapter 9

Edward locked his arms around me and I instantly secured mine around him, glad to have finally woken up from my nightmare, content to be back in his arms.

He pressed his face on the top of my head, burying it in my hair, as his arms tightened around my lean frame.

"Bella, are you okay? What happened? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that to you, I didn't know-"

Unwillingly I pushed back from his embrace to look him in the eye and emphasize my assurance. "I'm fine, really."

"What happened?"

"I think I was seeing something, a memory, of my transformation."

His eyes dimmed with concern and regret "I'm sorry, I know it's painful to recall these specific memories. Please forgive me."

"You saved me." I ignored his request.

"You're the reason I'm alive.

"Thank you."

"No Bella, I'm the reason you're damned to an eternity of suffering, you have nothing to thank me for"

"That's not true." I interrupted him.

"If it weren't for you I'd be dead.

"And besides, I'm soon going to have a family.

That's not suffering, that's awesome." I teased as I lightly punched him in the shoulder.

His face brightened with hope and delight.

"You're staying?"

"Yes." I answered briefly.

He unlocked my hands from around his waist only to hold them steadily in his.

"I think we should celebrate." He teased.

I grinned at him. "Lions and grizzlies on the way home?" I joked.

He flashed his crooked grin that knocked me breathless. "I'm in." he replied in the same tone.

The sun shifted through the clouds one more time, and a few rays managed to escape and lighten up the meadow.

Edward's face glistened in response, as if thousands of tiny crystals were embedded in his skin. The shimmering of his skin matched the twinkling of his eyes and I found myself gazing at him as though memorizing every feature of his face. And I remembered when I first encountered him. I thought he was a threat to me and I ran away, at that point I regretted coming to the meadow, regretted being within a ten mile radius near him. And now I could not be more grateful to have chosen then this particular meadow. Little did I know that this unimportant inconsequential seeming choice would be a pivotal point in my existence and would lead me to Edward.

However, I still had something else on my mind.

I wanted to know the complete story; for I had missed a lot when I lost my consciousness. I still had many questions left unanswered.

What happened to me after I blacked out?

Where did my creator go?

Why wasn't Edward there when I awakened?

"What's wrong?" Edward asked as he tightened his grip on my hands.

"You didn't tell me the rest of the story"

He hesitated for a second, trying to gather his thoughts.

"Bella, are you sure that's a good idea? I don't want to keep anything from you- but… the way you reacted… I just don't want that to happen again."

I took a second to comprehend what he said, obviously I haven't thought about that part. However, if the rest of the events happened during the while I was passed out, then there would be no memories to recall once he told me about them, and therefore I would not be in pain, it would be as though he was just narrating any other tale.

"My flashback ended when I blacked out, right after you shoved his teeth from my wrist –I shivered at the memory- so I didn't get to see whatever happened next, and… I think if you told me, it won't harm me, because I have no memories of it." I explained.

He seemed to consider that for a moment.

"Are you sure?" he asked intently.

"Yes."

He paused for another minute.

"Just spit it out Edward." I teased as I grinned at him.

"Very well then." He grinned back, and then his expression became serious as he continued from where he left off.

"I got him off of you just before he was about to drain you completely from blood. But I was too late. He had already injected a great amount of venom into your blood stream, and you were turning to a vampire."

He was speaking too quickly that I had to concentrate to fully understand what he was saying.

"When I pushed him away, he was burning with fury; for nothing had ever gotten between him and whatever it is that he desired. However, he was amused, for when I defended you, I made his little_ game_ even the more thrilling.

He saw my agony as I acknowledged that you were turning to one of us, that it was… too late to save you.

And he was content with the pain he inflicted upon me, and the damage he caused you.

So he left, but only with the intention of coming back after your transformation is completed.

He could have killed you then, he could have killed both of us; for feeding on human blood made him stronger than me.

But he didn't want to end his chase yet."

He hesitated for an instant to make sure I was fine.

"I'm okay, seriously stop worrying."

"I just feel- very… protective about you."

I stared intently into his deep eyes and squeezed his hand, urging him to continue.

He sighed, then resumed with the story.

"I raced to check on you, as I held your hand your scent hit me, but it was the last thing on my mind; for you seemed as though you weren't going to make it. Your pulse was weak, your touch was cold, your skin was pale and your breathing was very heavy. You had lost a lot of blood, and I didn't know if there was enough left in your system to complete the transformation.

You stayed unconscious for about five hours, with every second your heart beat got slower and weaker, and it became evident that you wouldn't last long enough for the venom to reach your heart.

"You were in so much pain." His expression was wounded and I felt the urge to comfort him, but I didn't want to interrupt, instead I held his hand more firmly and he squeezed back.

"And I knew you'd be dead." We both flinched at the word.

"You've been reported missing for three days; for when you took off you never contacted your family, in fear that he'd be listening, you didn't want to call attention to them so you kept your distance, hiding alone and relocating from time to time.

"You're family had been worried ever since, and I figured it would be better for them to know that you were not going to come back; for I knew holding hopes up high then getting them crushed was worse than not having hope at all." I nodded in agreement.

"And I didn't want you to rotten in the woods. You deserved better than that. So I called the police to report your murder, and the ambulance was on its way.

"Your heart stopped beating two hours prior to its arrival. I spent them mourning, thinking you were dead. And I knew it was over.

And it was my cue to leave.

I hid in the trees as I watched them load you into the back of the ambulance. And then I left.

I went to track him.

I wanted to kill him, I wanted to rip him to shreds and burn him to ashes. But the rain washed away the traces of his scent and I couldn't find him.

I couldn't find you as well; for it was stated that your body was missing.

I didn't know how that happened.

I didn't know what to make out of it.

But I knew I shouldn't have left your side to go after that filthy mongler."

He spoke calmly. However, anger, hatred and regret tinted his tone.

"And two days later, I find you here." He said softly as he smiled at me.

I smiled back.

"I'm sorry, I should have waited, even after your heart stopped beating. I should not have given up hope."

I gazed at his pain struck eyes, sorrow filling my own; for I hated seeing him in such distress.

I blinked –out of habit- to see a new image flicker before me.

And I knew I was seeing another memory.

_Flash back:_

_My eyes were closed and I was lying on a damp surface, I could feel wet grass beneath me and smell the earthly scent of the air. I could hear the sounds of leaves brushing the tree trunks softly as the wind drifted, slightly thrusting a few strands of my hair, making me shiver._

_I could also hear the sound of heavy tires of passing cars moving on the asphalt, and I could hear my even panting._

_But what alarmed me, was that I could hear another set of lungs breathing as well._

_It was him._

_I tensed instantly, I wanted to run, I wanted to escape, but I could hardly move, I could not even force my eyes open. My body was rigid, and it was as though every muscle in my body went numb._

_I felt him approaching me, heard his footsteps as they closed the distance between us._

_"And so we meet again Bella." I froze –not that I already wasn't- as he addressed me in a smooth voice._

_"It's quite an interesting twist of events; it seems you're not willing to die easily." He said in a friendly intimidating tone._

_"Well, I think I'll have to do something about that." And I could hear the smile plainly in his voice._

_"Good bye for now Isabella._

_"I'll be back."_

_And then he was gone._

_But what had he done to me?_

_ And why was I lying on the ground?_

_Why couldn't I feel my body?_

_The last thing I remember was his eyes, his bloody red repulsive eyes, and I had the feeling that they retained the same color as my own._

_What was I thinking?_

_Of course they weren't the same; because I was human and he was…_

_A vampire._

_Could he have made me like him? That was highly unlikely; for he just wanted to have me killed, and if I were a va- if I were one of his kind, it would be even harder for him to fulfill his desire of murdering me._

_It doesn't make any sense._

_Slowly I felt myself gaining control over my body, and soon enough I could move._

_I opened my eyes and everything was different._

_I was different._

_He changed me._

_James._

Present:

I blinked once more as the image vanished and reality set in.

"James." I found myself uttering the name involuntarily.

"His name is James." I stated.

I suppose my little time out didn't escape Edward's attention for he asked me hastily "What did you see?"

"I was in the woods and I couldn't feel my body or even open my eyes. He was there, and… he said he'll come back."

Edward instantly tensed, and he seemed lost in thought.

"We'll protect you, with my family on our side he's outnumbered and he can never get to you."

"No!" I almost screamed.

He was shocked at my protest.

"I can't put you at risk. You can't get involved in this, not because of me."

"Bella, what are you saying-"

"What if he gets to you?" I cut him off.

"Edward what if he hurts you to get back at me?" my voice broke twice and I knew that were I capable of shedding tears, they would have rolled down my face.

"It's okay Bella." He said as he wrapped his arms around me.

I buried my head in his chest crying tearless sobs.

"None of our lives are in jeopardy. It's only his at stake. You're a newborn, your human blood –regardless of its amount- still lingers in your tissues, which makes you stronger than him, stronger than all of us. If you had proper training you'd be able to take him down on your own." New ideas streamed in my head as I contemplated the last part.

I'm strong enough to defend myself. I don't have to endanger my family's life for my sake. I won't need to endanger Edward's life for my sake. That was good enough. I can live with that.

"But I won't let it get that far, I promise." He added then pushed back from our embrace.

"We have to go back or they'll start worrying." He explained as he straightened from his pose to stand up.

I did the same and reached for his hand.

We then ran through the woods, our joined hands swaying between us.

"Edward, does our family know, I mean about what happened when I was human?" he seemed content by the way I said 'our' family as opposed to just 'your' family.

"Yes, we find it fair not to keep secrets from each other, what with me reading minds and Alice seeing the future."

"And Jasper making you feel all warm and fuzzy about spilling your guts, don't forget that."

He flashed his crooked grin and I couldn't help smiling back.

"Do they mind about me staying at your house?" I asked hesitantly.

"Of course they don't. They're actually content about that."

"Why?" I inquired uncomprehendingly.

"Alice already saw you both becoming best friends, so she's pretty excited, Jasper doesn't mind because Alice is happy and Carlisle and Esme are just pleased to see me making new friends." He teased as he squeezed my hand.

"As for Emmet… well he's Emmet so that should explain it." We chuckled lightly at the mention of him.

"What's the problem with Rosalie though?"

He frowned and hesitated for a moment.

"When Carlisle changed Rosalie, it was within his hopes that she'd be to me what Esme is to him. But of course it didn't happen; for her personality was shallow and arrogant. She was hurt that I didn't worship her beauty immediately like other men. She concluded that neither Jasper nor Carlisle were interested in her just because they already had mates and they were already in love. But I was a loner back at the time." He teased.

"She didn't hold any attraction to me though, she was merely interested in me because I wasn't interested in her. But then she found Emmet and got over it. However, she was provoked that I chose you over her. And she can't understand why you mean to me more than she did and more than she ever would."

"I do?" my voice came out in a weak whisper.

"When I said I was a loner, it wasn't just a joke. I thought love didn't exist for me, and I believed I was complete within myself, that I wasn't _missing_ my other half so to speak –he teased casually- "Esme and Carlisle became worried about me, the others were more annoyed actually; for I always preferred solitude and the door of my room was always shut behind me.

"You don't know how long I've waited for you." He murmured softly.

I looked away, embarrassed, yet my heart bounced with joy, I felt as though it was beating again, I felt… human.

"Don't you think it's unfair? I mean you waited for decades and I just got my way easily." I teased.

"Definitely, I should make this harder for you, maybe I should leave."

"NO!"

He chuckled at my abrupt response.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere, bring on the shackles- I'm your prisoner." He teased lightly.

I smiled in response.

"Edward, how did Carlisle find you?" I asked all of a sudden.

He didn't seem to have seen my question coming; for he took a second to answer me.

"Carlisle found me in 1918, he was a doctor and I was dying of the Spanish influenza –I shuddered at the thought of Edward dying and quickly forced it out of my head- I was the first one in his family, he acted out of loneliness but he would have never changed me if I weren't dying, if I had another choice. My parents already passed away and I had no relatives, no waiting family in my home. No one would have recognized my disappearance. He told me that my mother had her suspicions about what he was and before she died she begged him to save me, to do what other doctors are not able to do, to give me a life.

I can't blame Carlisle for changing me, for it was either this existence or death, and I preferred death, that is until I met you." He added softly.

"Esme was the second addition to our family." He paused for a second, probably editing something in the story. "She fell off a cliff, but somehow her heart was still beating.

"Carlisle changed her, and soon afterwards they got married and I was their son for all intents and purposes." I giggled at his teasing.

"Then there was Rosalie, Carlisle found her dying on the street after she was abused by her _fiancée_, she soon found Emmet, a bear was attacking him and he was almost dead. She carried him all the way to Carlisle because she was afraid to do it herself, in fear she might kill him."

I felt bad for Rosalie, in spite of her ill treatment towards me I admired her; now that I knew what she'd done for Emmet. I wouldn't have believed it was possible if I didn't know Edward did the same with me, when I was a human and my blood was spilt before him and he still refused to give in.

"Alice and Jasper are very rare creatures. Unlike the rest of us they found their way to Carlisle together. Alice doesn't remember anything from her past life, whoever changed her wasn't there when she awakened, she was left with no guidance and she would have turned to a complete savage if it wasn't for her gift.

She saw herself becoming one of our family, and she saw Jasper and knew he was looking for her before he could realize it himself. They found each other and soon found Carlisle and agreed to live by our life style and hunting habits."

We then reached the river and were about to leap over it.

"I'm glad I'm joining your family." I said as I smiled at Edward.

"I'm glad you are too." He replied as he raised his free hand to brush the side of my face, along my jaw line. I felt my legs weaken at his touch but I braced myself.

The clear blue sky was beginning to dim.

It was twilight.

Together we leaped over to the other side of the river and advanced towards the house.

Everything seemed to have fallen in place in that instant and I was genuinely pleased.

About three things I was positive.

First, James would come back for me one day.

Second, I was now part of Edward's family, and he would do whatever he could to keep me safe.

And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.


	10. Chapter 10

As we approached the grand white house -which was soon to be my home- I spotted Alice sitting on the front porch waiting for us, her eyes were dancing with fire and her lips were stretched into a wide grin, Jasper was leaning casually on the door frame with his eyes on her, watching in evident delight and fondness.

I allowed myself a glance at Edward and he smiled at me reassuringly.

I immediately felt at ease and turned to face Alice, as soon as my eyes locked with hers she jumped up swiftly and pulled me into a tight hug.

"Oh Bella, I knew you'd agree, I'm so excited, I have a new sister!" she squealed in her soprano lovely voice.

Jasper and Edward chuckled lightly at her overly extreme enthusiasm, to which she retaliated by sticking out her tongue like a four year old.

She pulled back from our short embrace and eyed me with a calculating look in her eyes, suddenly turning serious and thoughtful. It was nearly the same look as that of Rosalie when she was scornfully assessing my appearance, yet Alice didn't have that sneering edge in her contemplation, unlike Rosalie she wasn't criticizing and internally mocking, she was merely in deep thought, somehow my appearance had something to do with what she was thinking.

She started circulating me cautiously and I felt as a powerless dear trapped in the claws of a mighty lioness.

Her eye brows furrowed as she took in my full appearance and I found myself wishing to have had Edward's gift; for I was desperate to know what was going on in that mind of hers. Then abruptly her mischievous grin widened, exposing her perfectly lined teeth. Edward gave Alice a speculative look as she finally tore her eyes from my embarrassing, stained, shred outfit to look me in the eye.

"You need new clothes… and some serious make-up, I can see you have potential, it's just your outfit that's a little… "She trailed off as her eyes went blank for a tenth of a second before adding eagerly "We should totally go shopping!"

I groaned internally; I hated shopping, I couldn't quite comprehend how people considered the idea of spending hours in the changing room -putting clothes on and off- appealing. Who would willingly condemn himself to such purgatory?

"Sorry Alice, I'd love to go with you, but I don't actually have my wallet on me for the time being." I joked lightly. Edward and jasper chuckled at my teasing and Alice rolled her eyes at me.

"Silly Bella, you're not gonna need it. We have plenty of money."

"No, you're already offering me a place to stay." I protested promptly shaking my head.

She opened her mouth to complain but one disapproving glare from me –which apparently happened to be intimidating as well- was enough to silence her.

"Fine" she stomped her foot stubbornly on the ground. "But we don't really _need_ to go shopping; my closet is well-stocked, I can lend you some of my clothes." And with that she grabbed my hand –which had been locked with Edward's- and led me into the house before I could argue any further.

I could feel Edward's burning gaze on my back the whole while and I immediately felt an urge to have his hand back in mine…

God! Could I get any more pathetic?

Of that I did not know, and was definitely beyond caring at this point.

Alice dragged me through the Cullen mansion and headed for the stairs, I said quick hellos to the rest of the family as we passed them, Carlisle and Esme returned my greetings with a nod and a smile and Emmet gave me a high five. They seemed utterly pleased to see me, their golden eyes held nothing but warmth as they met mine, and as hard as I tried to- I couldn't find any trace of disapproval, discomfort or even the slightest bit of surprise at my sudden entrance.

As I took an apprehensive glance to where they were standing –in an intimate semi circle- I sensed a new different feeling in the aura of this welcoming house with this affectionate family standing in its midst. I half expected myself to feel as an outsider, but I never felt more in place. As my eyes met Edward's, and I perceived his crooked lop-sided grin, which I hoped was preserved for me and me alone, I could finally decipher that alien sensation, it was one that I thought I'd never be fortunate enough to encounter throughout my new found existence, it was one that I had very few memories of, and cherished each and every one of them. My smile mirrored Edward's as I finally acknowledged what I was feeling:

_Home._

How I longed for a home, how I longed for a family, was indescribable. Never had I foreseen that this abode which I am to take refuge in, and this family who I have been acquainted with for no more than a few hours would succeed in having such dominant power upon me, and would soon have me inclined to them, and wish never to be parted with them.

I was home.

Happiness could barely convey what I was feeling. My gleefulness doubled- probably tripled –if even possible- as Edward winked at me. I felt my heart melt in my granite chest at his simple gesture- and I felt grateful.

Grateful to my bad luck which made me cross paths with James, grateful to the unjust fate that condemned me to my death- my _'human_ death' so to speak, though I missed humanity, my mother who I loved so much despite the scarcity of the memories I had of her, and every chance of having a normal life,

I would trade it all,

I would trade it without a second thought to have this,

So I couldn't bring myself to regret the decisions which brought me face to face with death;

Because they also brought me- to Edward.

Alice tugging my hand and pulling me hastily brought me out of my thoughts and back to reality. Unwillingly I took my eyes off Edward as she spun me around to face the stair case.

_Oh crap!_

I completely forgot about her, I was supposedly going to plan a decent elopement; for as much as I wanted to get into clean clothes I knew she'd be treating me like a Guinea Pig Barbie –considering how ecstatic she got when she mentioned shopping- I could tell it wouldn't stop at that; for we'd probably be playing dress up for the rest of the evening.

… Just great. Super!

I ventured a glance behind my shoulder to where Edward was standing, and with a pleading look mouthed "help me".

He just chuckled with a beautiful melody along side with the others.

"Traitor."I muttered under my breath, and they all erupted into loud laughter.

With a groan I mounted up the stairs, but as I reached the top I felt a spasm of curiosity as to what the second story held, during my former visit I had lots on my mind to consider examining the house, but now I have much time to fully appreciate the delicate taste and elegance of the dwelling.

With a burning interest, my eyes examined the second level; it was equally beautiful to the first story, the walls were painted various shades of white and were lined with large portraits. And I knew that it was not the extremely beautiful house, the long elegant corridor, or Alice's huge closet that I was so eager to inspect; it was Edward's room that had me burning with curiosity.

As I stood in Alice's enormously huge closet, I stopped wondering about Edward and entertained myself with watching her running around franticly, trying to set her mind on an out-fit that would –as she said- match the mahogany color of my hair or bring out my _'feminine' _side.

Clothes were flying everywhere in the room as Alice started looking for a matching shirt to the jeans she picked out, which I thought wouldn't be so difficult considering they were black.

And that's where I was wrong.

It had been twenty minutes and _still_ she couldn't set her mind up on _one_ shirt.

I think she was having too much fun playing dress up that she lost track of time.

Seventeen minutes, fifty-two seconds, and thirty six outfits later, there was a soft knock on the door followed by the "come in" from Alice.

I glanced up to see who my savior was, and there by the door frame was Edward, holding a dark blue sweater in his hands and looking at me with a raised eye brow.

I had switched to my former stained, shred shirt, which should explain his questioning eyes and amused expression.

"Alice, she just needs a shirt." And with that he tossed me the sweater he was holding and exited the room, leaving me to change.

"You're not seriously thinking about wearing _that_" Alice protested as she eyed the sweater which was now cradled in my lap.

"Alice, chill, it's not a big deal." My voice came out muffled by the fabric I was putting on.

I finally pulled my head out of the hoodie -which smelled like fresh laundry and Edward- and started leading the way out of the room and down the stairs as Alice huffed and grumbled something about my weak fashion sense.

As we got downstairs I could see that everyone was back to their normal routine. Rosalie's head was still bent over the magazine she'd been examining immensely, Esme was arranging some roses elegantly in a vase, Jasper and Emmet were staring at nine connected boards, playing their sophisticated version of chess, Alice passed me to stand behind Emmet and mouth his next moves to a confused looking Jasper, while Edward glanced up at me from a spectacular Grand Piano, though his fingers continued to fly gracefully over the keys playing a familiar melody.

"Claire de Lune?" I asked as I reached him.

He smiled at me warmly and concluded the masterpiece with a scale. He gently took my hand as he seated me besides him on the bench.

"You know Debussy?" he asked softly.

"Not well, I only know my favorites." I replied trying to ignore the electric current that passed through me at his simple touch.

"It's one of my favorites too." He grinned.

"You inspired this one." He gave me a long exasperated look before turning to the keys, and then the room was filled with the most unbearably sweet composition I'd ever had the pleasure of hearing. It was so luxuriant and complex that it was hard to believe only one set of hands could play it. And it was beautiful, heavenly beautiful, a divine gift. Had I known such a musical piece existed, I would have searched the entire world for it, only to hear the delightful melody and get a glimpse of the brilliant composer.

My chin dropped in amazement as I now amply comprehended the meaning of Edward's words.

"You wrote this?" my voice came out in a faint whisper.

"I wrote it for you, your very own lullaby." He replied softly, not once had he taken his eyes off me, yet his fingers never missed a note.

My heart was lurching with happiness and I felt a stinging feeling in my eyes, had I been human, my eyes would have been shedding tears of joy. He little knew how my heart warmed towards him, and how only one glance from his topaz eyes was adequate to have me smiling with the utmost pleasure, and how only one crooked grin was all it took to knock me breathless.

The lullaby switched to a softer melody, then with a last note ringing, hanging briefly in the air, came to an end.

"Thank you." I said with a shaky voice, finding no other words to express my gratitude.

He lifted his hand to my cheek, brushing it gently with his fingers before leaving it to rest there, cupping the side of my face. His other hand held mine tenderly and I immediately intertwined my fingers with his.

We held our positions for god knows how long, not minding the peaceful silence I sat unmoving, content to just be holding Edward's hand and having the other on the side of my face, staring like an idiot at his divine beauty, a smile breaking across my face as I saw my favorite crooked grin lighten his own.

"Let's go to our meadow." He murmured softly, his sweet breath brushing my face, giving me a tingling feeling, making it _very_ difficult to breathe.

It was strangely intoxicating.

He pulled me from the piano bench and started leading me towards the door, quickly telling Esme of our departure. She looked remarkably happy, and something about her air was comforting, she felt… warm, like my mother.

Edward and I raced to the meadow with high spirits, he often let me win; for he preferred to run along my side, _'watching over you, just in case' _he'd justify when I'd ask him.

As we entered the clearing, we headed towards my favorite spot, under the tree to which I rested my back the first time I came here.

We sat there talking, oblivious to the rapid passage of time; our discussions differed and altered from serious topics like what we remembered of our human lives, our expectations for the future back then, and how unexpectedly all that was stripped away from us in return for the everlasting gift of eternity- which may as well be considered a curse, to lighter topics as to our likes and dislikes, our preferences and hobbies, we were however, most animated during our debates concerning classical novels, plays and our favorite pieces of English literature.

It was incredibly easy and natural talking to Edward; the conversation flowed effortlessly between us as each topic lead to another, I became however a little nervous as somehow we ended up talking about relationships, and he was evidently astonished by my lack of romantic history.

"You really haven't dated before?" he inquired incredulously.

I was too embarrassed to form a coherent answer so I merely nodded in response.

"Why not? You're smart, and beautiful, it shouldn't be that hard to get any guy you wanted."

"Beautiful?" I muttered in disbelief "Please!" I uttered rolling my eyes.

He chuckled at my response.

"You don't see yourself very clearly." He said with a serious tone that had me look up in confusion.

"What about you?" I retaliated "_I was a loner back at the time_" I quoted him mimicking his velvety voice, well attempting to mimic his voice, though completely unsuccessful it earned me a few light chuckles from Edward.

"So this is as new to you as it is to me." He stated matter-of-factly.

I nodded in agreement.

"It's incredible, isn't it, the difference between reading about something, seeing it in pictures, and experiencing it?"

"Very different." I agreed "More forceful than I'd imagined."

"The emotion of love, how much I read about it, how much I've seen it portrayed by actors in movies and plays, yet I was so ignorant as to underestimate its supremacy in reality and doubt the magnitude of its influence." I froze instantly at the mention of an affection so deep as love.

Could this really be happening?

"That was of course before I met you." He added softly.

It _is _happening!

The sincerity behind his voice was certain, yet I had to question my sanity; for I never expected my feelings for Edward to be returned with equal intensity.

He seemed to have sensed my sudden pause for he added quickly "I'm sorry, I was so thoughtless as to consider my feelings for you mutual. Forgive me if my declaration have inconvenienced you or caused you discomfort, I should have known better, I can never mean to you what you mean to me."

"NO! No, it's not that, it's just… I was… I mean I was surprised that you feel for me as I feel for you, quite honestly I don't understand how you can feel for me at all."

There was an awkward pause as Edward's expression changed from soft and gentle to hard and fierce, and I couldn't quite comprehend what caused the major alteration.

"Bella, do you truly believe that you care for me more than I do for you?" he murmured leaning closer to me as he spoke, with a controlled yet angry voice. It took me by surprise how mad he got for a trivial seeming fact as such.

And I couldn't do anything but nod and drop my eyes to the ground, suddenly becoming interested in my shoes, but frankly trying to hide from his piercing gaze.

He lifted my chin up so that my face was at the same level as his, with a touch so gentle that I could have thought myself breakable and with an exasperated sigh murmured "Bella" his cool breath brushed my cheeks giving me a woozy kind of feeling, I would have thought -though highly unlikely- that I'd be accustomed to his proximity and it wouldn't affect me that much, but I was wrong- which wasn't much of a surprise.

"Bella." He began one more time "How could you be so foolish as to believe that?" he murmured softly. "Before you- my life was completely and undeniably insignificant, I was lost, empty, a living statue, before I met you I had nothing to live for, I nonchalantly continued with my existence only as to not displease Carlisle and Esme to whom I cannot be more indebted, but _you_…" he trailed off with a frustrated sigh. I've never seen Edward at loss of words; it was refreshing and strangely amusing to have someone else –other than myself- stumbling while trying to form a comprehensible response. "You gave me a reason to live." He wrapped his arms around my waist as he concluded his monologue.

My heart seemed to flutter –metaphorically speaking- as Edward uttered his confession. And I couldn't doubt myself anymore, or Edward for that matter; because I knew… that the most faithless, unjustifiable, distrusted fact _was_ indeed- the truth.

Edward was in love with me.

And I was unreservedly and unflinchingly in love with him.

So I took in an unnecessary breath and braced myself for what I was to say next.

"Of course you already know- how I feel." I mumbled with a voice too low that human ears would have never perceived. I kept my eyes on the ground; for I've always had difficulty expressing my feelings aloud, and I knew once my eyes locked with Edward's- I'd lose the capability of forming any intelligible and understandable words.

"It's still nice to hear though." He murmured softly.

I hid my head in his shoulder as I mumbled:

"I love you."

Almost instantly he wrapped me in his arms and buried his face in my hair, inhaling deeply.

"You are my life now." He answered simply.

We sat on the damp ground motionless, clinging to each other as though our lives depended on it, the green leaves were swirling around us as the gentle wind drifted soundlessly, and the astounding aroma of the flowers became yet more overwhelming as Edward's distinctive velvet-like scent added magnificence to the bouquet.

As he held me tightly in his arms, his gentle silky voice started humming a beautiful tune.

I smiled in his embrace as I immediately detected the melody.

It was the melody to which I would content myself with hearing for the rest of my never-ending existence, and never for a second would my admiration for it fade, or merely lessen.

It was my lullaby.

I wanted to freeze this moment… to forever be trapped in it, but I knew that soon we'd have to leave; for hours had passed since our departure, and our family would be probably wondering as to what delayed our return.

"We should go; they're probably worrying about us." But it was Edward who voiced my former concern.

"Hey I thought you couldn't read my mind!" I questioned instantly, fear crippling to my voice.

He chuckled at my immediate worry "I can't" he reassured me, standing up and offering me his hand.

I took it gladly, and together we disappeared soundlessly into the greenery of the woods.

Such was the manner by which the next five weeks were spent.

Edward initially stayed out of school to keep me company and help me work on myself restrain –slowly exposing me to the presence of a few humans. I found it rather easy; for Edward's mere presence was adequate to distract me from the mouthwatering scent, and Emmet's strong cautioning hand on my shoulder reminded me of what I'd be smashing into if I even considered crouching- but when Edward's sudden disappearance started arousing suspicions, it was decided that he must go back to school; as to not bring much attention to himself and cause people to wonder, and some braver people to investigate the matter.

Every day I'd wait impatiently for Edward, though spending time with Esme was incredibly delightful and undeniably fun. He'd race to find me after school and we'd meet with a long exasperated embrace, we'd go to our meadow and talk endlessly then we'd head back home.

Alice would occasionally kidnap me and force me to go with her and Rosalie on a shopping spree. Otherwise Edward would play for me or we'd entertain ourselves by either playing Emmet's sophisticated very exclusive games or by merely watching him go mad and angry over an arm-wrestling match that he'd lost to me and demanding a re-match.

Never had I been happier.

And never had I felt more at home.

All my former worries seemed to fade as I now allowed myself to take pleasure in the alteration of the course my life was taking. I had gained a family so dear to my heart and close to my affections that I was incredulous as to how I hesitated in trusting them at the beginning.

But now everything had changed, and my pleasure scarcely gave room for my anxieties to hold a fraction of my attention, or disturb my contentment.

It had been nearly a week since we last fed, and Edward and I were just finished hunting and were heading back to the house.

I had a strange sense of déjà-vu as I distinguished Alice's lean tiny frame sitting on the porch, tapping her foot impatiently against the grassy ground, Jasper was standing with his arms squared across his chest and his back resting on the door.

From my peripheral vision I could see Edward grinning and his eyes glistening in evident eagerness and enthusiasm.

I raised an eye brow at him questioningly and he tilted his head to Alice's direction in response.

She was up to something.

As we finally reached them Alice jumped agitatedly "Bella!"

"Alice, please don't tell me there's another shopping spree." I moaned.

Alice frowned while Edward and Jasper chuckled.

"Actually" Jasper said smiling as he approached us "Alice says there's going to be a real storm tonight, and Emmet wants to play ball."

I grimaced as I tried to come up with a sensible justification as to why playing ball would be related to storms in any way.

"We have to wait for thunder to play ball." Edward explained "You'll see why."

"Are you coming?" Alice asked anxiously.

"Like you don't already know" Jasper teased lightly, the enthusiasm catching in his voice.

We laughed at his private joke and Edward turned to me with a thrilled expression "Do you want to go?" he asked eagerly.

"Sure" I replied, starting to get anxious myself.

"Great!" Alice squealed jumping up and down and clapping her hands together "I'll go tell Esme we're all going!"

Everything was already settled and Edward and I headed for his Volvo while Jasper and Alice took her Porsche and the others rode in Emmet's Jeep.

Driving at top speed it only took us about ten minutes to reach the end of the paved road and start stammering on the rough trail which headed deeper into the forest.

"Since when do vampires like baseball?" I inquired in disbelief.

"Well," Edward began, smiling in spite of himself "It _is_ the American past-time."

Edward stopped the car as we approached a large open field- twice the size of a regular baseball stadium, and with blinding speed was out of his seat and standing by my –now- opened door.

"Such a gentleman" I teased as I took his extended hand and leaped out of the vehicle.

The others had already arrived and removed their baseball gear.

As I scanned the clearing I spotted Alice and Jasper -a hundred yards away from where I stood- and at least a quarter of a mile apart, throwing a ball back and forth. Esme was sitting on a bare outcropping of a rock, merely observing with a kind smile, Emmet and Rosalie were playfully fighting over a bat and Carlisle seemed to be marking bases.

"Are you ready for some ball?" Edward asked, his eyes shining with enthusiasm and delight.

"Go Team!" I cheered smiling.

Edward snickered and bounded off to his proper spot as I darted to where Esme sat. We have already established that I was not the sporty type and would entertain myself by merely watching.

"You don't play with them?" I asked politely as I reached Esme.

"No, I prefer to referee; I like to keep them honest." She explained.

"She _thinks_ we cheat" Emmet teased as he winked at us.

"I _know_ you do."

I grinned at their mother\son exchange as Alice solemnly announced: "It's time."

Just then a loud roar of thunder echoed through the enormously huge field followed by the cheers and whoops of a very happy Emmet.

The game started with Alice as a pitcher and Emmet as a hitter, Jasper was crouched a few feet behind him to catch for the other team. With a powerful force and a strike of a cobra- Alice threw the ball right into Jasper's bare hands. Of course they didn't wear gloves.

I immediately understood the need for thunder; for on the second attempt, Jasper's bat hit the ball with a loud thunderous roar.

The game was very captivating, but what I enjoyed the most were the fights they got into, and every once in a while a few giggles would escape my lips as I watched Carlisle's attempts to break up the heated disputes and Esme's motherly instincts take over as she told off her sons for raising their voices in front of the ladies.

However, my eyes mostly rested on Edward and as he felt my penetrating gaze he sprinted to my side.

"Don't you want to play?" he asked excitedly.

I shook my head as I answered "No, I'm having too much fun watching you guys fight."

He snickered as Alice came to join us.

"Come on Bella, please?" she pouted in a vain attempt to convince me.

"Just try" Edward urged me with hopeful eyes.

I felt my stern will shaken against his pleads, and soon I gave up, how could I refuse him anything?

"Fine" I muttered as Alice squealed in delight and everyone started cheering. I ducked my head in embarrassment at the attention. I never liked the spot-light.

"GO BELLA!" Alice yelled as she gave me a high five and handed me her bat. I started to her former position testing the bat as I approached it, swinging it lightly, Edward was a couple of strides crouched behind me and Emmet stood at the pitcher's mount.

"Ready?" he inquired grinning mischievously.

"Don't hold back." I challenged playfully.

Wait, where did all that courage come from?

I glanced sideways to see Jasper with a smug smile on his face.

_So it was _his_ doing._

"Not in _my _nature." He replied mischievously.

There was a fierce swing by his arms as he threw the ball, followed by the loud BOOM of my bat hitting it, sending it flying into the darkness of the trees.

Everybody erupted into loud cheers and applauded why Emmet stared in bewilderment.

"Hey, that doesn't count she's a newborn." He protested, and we laughed at his stubbornness.

"Whatever." He muttered grumpily which made us laugh even harder.

Abruptly and unexpectedly the mood completely and utterly altered.

Both Alice and Edward froze, wide eyed, and panic struck.

We all stiffened instantly as we perceived their immobile pose.

"Edward!" I called alarmed, fear and panic tinting my voice, he still held his rigid posture and appeared to be indifferent even as I started shaking his shoulders weakly. A low gasp escaped his clenched teeth, his eyes dimmed with despair yet his jaw tightened in fury.

"Alice, what did you see?" Jasper asked with an even voice and immediately I felt waves of calmness wash over me.

"Alice." he repeated when she didn't respond, his voice was still controlled; however, I could hear the strained edge to it. When it came to Alice Jasper could no longer hide his worry.

"It's time." Alice and Edward said in unison.

"The decision's been made."

There was a beat of deafening silence before they declared:

"He's coming back."

All my previous fears, all my former concerns which had been long forgotten broke through my shield and creaked into my voice as I inquired in a faint whisper "Who?"

Though I already knew the answer.

"James."


End file.
